Tall wind turbine tower erection with climbing crane

ABSTRACT

A wind turbine tower comprising a forward leaning rotating tower where the tower rotates on lower and upper bearings. The upper bearing is held in position by a second fixed lower tower that encloses a lower portion of the first rotating tower. A method of constructing a wind turbine tower comprising building a tower in segments; including elements of the tower segments enabling the attachment, support, and movement of a climbing crane. Also included is a lifting cable communicating with a ground based winch vehicle. Climbing crane is positioned on the tower to enable the climbing crane to reach forward of the tower and to raise segments of the tower to build it to full height, and to also raise the nacelle and rotor of the wind turbine.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a CONTINUATION APPLICATION of application Ser. No.14/580,471 filed Dec. 23, 2014 and entitled “Tall Wind Turbine TowerErection with Climbing Crane”. This application also claims the benefitof and priority to the provisional application Ser. No. 62/023,744entitled Modular Wing-Shaped Tower Self-Erection for Increased WindTurbine Hub Height filed Jul. 11, 2014. This provisional application62/023,744 in incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF DISCLOSURE

1. Field of Use

This disclosure pertains to power generating wind turbines utilizing arotating tower with increased dimensions in the direction of the wind,compared to across the wind. The tower may be modular to facilitatetransportation and construction. It may also utilize a fixed lower towerto retain at its top a rotating bearing that supports rotation of therotating tower located within and extending above the fixed lower tower.The disclosed climbing crane and construction method may also be usedwith non-rotating tall towers.

2. Prior Art

Designs for power generating wind turbines are known in the art. Mostrequire the construction of a stationary cantilever tower, frequentlyconical in design, that must withstand wind loadings from alldirections. Other towers comprise multi-leg structures. The rotor andnacelle usually yaw on top of the fixed tower. A limited class of towersthat rotate are known in the early art.

BACKGROUND TO DISCLOSURE

The tower design subject of this disclosure seeks to increase annualenergy production (AEP) by reaching up to generally increased wind speedwith height in the atmospheric boundary layer region near the earth'ssurface. Proximate to the earth's surface, friction, along with thermaland turbulent mixing effects, cause rapid changes in wind speed. Theseeffects decrease with increased height.

Wind speed is often assumed to scale vertically using a power law with awind shear parameter of α=1/7 at onshore sites. This simplifiedcalculation yields about a 10% increase in wind speed going from atypical 80 m to a 150 m increased hub height. Given the cubicrelationship between wind speed and energy in the wind flow, this 10%speed increase adds about ⅓ more wind turbine output below rated power,and allows the turbine to reach its full rating in 10% less wind. Theeffect is to produce more energy overall, and to spread the energy moreevenly over time, both of which have economic value to the windgenerating facility.

In the early years of commercial wind turbine development, tower heightswere low by today's standards, and relatively small rotors were used fora given turbine rating, resulting in rotor disk loadings often in therange of 400-500 watts/meter^2, and capacity factors (the average ofrated power achieved) in the 20%-30% range. The taller towers and largerrotors used now result in disk loadings in the 200-300 watts/m^2 range,and capacity factors often over 40%.

High capacity factors make better use of the transmission lines, and thewind facility is online more of the time, making it a more statisticallyreliable source from the utility perspective.

The introduction of even taller towers would further enhance this longterm trend, by reaching the stronger, steadier, more reliable windsfurther above the ground. Particularly at lower speed wind sites, theamount of additional energy revenue can be large, often a ⅓ to even ⅔increase depending on specific site conditions.

The key difficulty in exploiting favorable winds higher aloft is thatconventional tower weight and cost scale up rapidly with increasingheight, and the increase in tower cost can offset the additionalrevenue. The wing-shaped rotating tower subject of U.S. Pat. Nos.7,891,939 B1 & 8,061,964 B2 which are incorporated by reference in theirentirety, reduces the cost burden of additional height. This is achievedthrough the tower rotation that aligns its primary strength with thethrust plane, thereby consuming less material by providing increaseddimensions in that plane, while also reducing the need to carry loadsfrom other directions.

Another difficulty with exceptionally tall towers of 150 m or more, isthat there are few cranes large enough to lift the turbine and rotoronto such a tower, they are very expensive, and are so large they cannotreach all desirable wind sites. To reduce this aspect of the tall towercost, the rotating wing tower itself becomes the crane during erection,via a climbing crane assembly that uses the partially completed rotatingtower to build itself to full height, then lift the turbine nacelle androtor to the top once completed. This addresses a major cost elementwithout which tall towers are less likely to achieve widespread marketsignificance.

The goal of this patent is allow cost effective construction of windturbine towers to up to and beyond 150 m (500 ft), while also mitigatinglogistic, transportation, and installation constraints. The describedinvention is based on a patented, lightweight, rotating, wing-shapedtall tower, that may be supported by a fixed lower tower. The inventiondiscloses a climbing crane with balanced boom that allows the partiallycompleted rotating tower to be the crane structure used in its owncompletion, and for lifting the wind turbine nacelle and rotor to thetop once the tower is complete. The method for using the climbing craneto erect the tower is also disclosed. Certain aspects of this disclosureare applicable to non-rotating tall towers as well.

SUMMARY OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of theinvention. These drawings, together with the general description of theinvention given above and the detailed description of the preferredembodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of theinvention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a fixed lower tower and the tilting upof a portion of the forward leaning rotating tower into position on alower bearing and a upper bearing.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the rotating tower positioned on thelower bearing and upper bearing, and tilting up the climbing cranetoward its initial position on the tower back edge.

FIG. 3 illustrates the climbing crane positioned on the back edge of therotating tower, and using its balanced boom for hoisting a furtherrotating tower segment into place atop the completed portion of therotating tower.

FIG. 4 illustrates using the climbing crane near the tower top, with thebalanced boom hoisting a turbine nacelle.

FIG. 5 illustrates the climbing crane hoisting the turbine rotor to thehub.

FIG. 6 illustrates the completed tower and turbine, with the climbingcrane removed.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the rotating tower sectionillustrating the leading (front) edge and the trailing (back) edge.

FIG. 8 is a detailed view of a tip of the balanced pivoting boom.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DISCLOSURE

It will be appreciated that not all embodiments of the invention can bedisclosed within the scope of this document and that additionalembodiments of the invention will become apparent to persons skilled inthe technology after reading this disclosure. These additionalembodiments are claimed within the scope of this invention.

Referencing FIG. 7, the rotating wing-shaped tower 100 can be orientedwith the wind (shown by vector arrow 975), which allows less material tocarry a given bending moment, and reduced aerodynamic drag, comparedwith a conventional round tower, which must accept turbine and directwind loading from any direction. The wing portion is comprised ofstructural leading 110 and trailing 120 edges that provide the main loadpaths, with joining panels 135 between the edges. The joining panels canbe mechanically fastened 137, 138 to the leading edge 110 and trailingedge 120. The interior of the wing-shaped tower 136 can be empty. Theseparation of the edges tapers to follow the thrust bending moment onthe tower. The half circle leading and trailing edges are further apartthan for a circular shape, and strength in the fore-aft direction isincreased, about linearly with centroid separation, while stiffnessincreases even faster, going nearer as the square. This basicimprovement in section geometry is what allows a given amount ofmaterial to reach higher into the airflow than is possible withconventional round tower construction. The leading and trailing edgesneed not be circles, and will be tailored for aerodynamic and structuraloptimization—the basic mechanism of increased efficiency remainseffective.

As will be described in greater detail herein, the tower can be modifiedto contain components allowing the attachment and movement of a climbingcrane. The disclosed tower and crane could be used with either awindward facing or downwind facing wind turbine, so it is appropriate todefine the tower edges relative to crane function. As used herein, frontrefers to the tower side facing the components to be lifted, while backrefers to the side facing away from the components to be lifted. It willbe further appreciated that the back edge above the upper bearing is ata less vertical angle than the front edge thereby facilitating theoperation of the climbing crane.

The tapering shape of the tower structure follows the primary thrustmoment distribution, reducing the need to taper material thickness, andefficiently transferring load to the foundation via the conical towerbase (fixed lower tower). The tapering tower width allows relativelyuniform stress in the main structural edges so their material is loadedefficiently, and the side panels need carry only modest amounts of shearand bending loads. The material properties and shape can be selectedbased upon the rotating tower maintaining a relatively constantorientation with the wind.

Only the conical fixed lower tower, typically steel or reinforcedconcrete, need take loads from all directions down into the foundation.A large bearing at the top of the fixed lower tower primarily transfershorizontal forces and weight between the tower sections, not the entirelocal bending moment, providing a natural place to advantageously changetower material and structural type to save upper tower weight and cost.In another embodiment, cables could fix the position of the upperbearing, as disclosed in the US patents cited herein.

In extreme wind conditions the tower may be allowed to self-feathercausing the leading edge to become the trailing edge. The ability tochoose the thickness, shape, and local radius of curvature of the frontedge part enhances the buckling stability of the front edge whileminimizing its weight and cost, i.e., maximizes structural efficiency.The ability to tailor the shape of this edge could have a substantialimpact on its weight, as its buckling stability may be a design driverfor passive high wind self-feathering survivability.

All components may be modular and shipped within existing wind turbinetrucking and lifting constraints. The fixed portion can be installedwith a conventional crane and can support tilting up a wing portion. Theforward-leaning top of the wing tower can then be used to hoist uppertower sections to efficiently achieve very tall tower heights, and toprovide the nacelle and rotor lift after the tower is assembled to fullheight. The description of the construction process is described belowwith reference to the FIGS. 1 through 6.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exposed interior side view of the fixed lowertower 50. Also illustrated are the front edge 110 and the back edge 120of the rotating tower. The rotating tower is shown installed on thelower bearing 370, and being tilted up from its mid point 330 (mid-towercollar), through a temporary slot (not illustrated) in the fixed lowertower. The mid point is where the separation between the front and backedge is the greatest, and the tower is strongest. The height of thefixed tower is shown by vector arrow 15. The height of the midpoint maybe the same as the height of the fixed lower tower wherein the bearingloads are taken into the strongest place on the tower. Also shown is theground based winch vehicle 11, that may tilt up the rotating tower,although this may also be done with a crane used to build the lowertower, or to position loads for later lifts by the self-erecting towerclimbing crane.

FIG. 2 illustrates the completed installation of the rotating tower 100on to the lower bearing and the upper bearing 220. The function andoperation of the lower bearing and upper bearing in relation to therotating tower is more fully described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,891,939 &8,061,964. FIG. 2 also shows the climbing crane 7 being tilted towardinitial engagement with the tower, from which position it would be movedto working height to begin its climb. The attachment modules 5 may be inposition on the rotating tower before the climbing crane is positioned(as shown), or may be moved into position with the climbing crane in asingle operation.

FIG. 3 illustrates the operation of the climbing crane, with frame 8shown positioned on the back edge of the rotating forward leaning tower100. The operation of the components used in the attachment of theclimbing crane is described below. Also illustrated is the balancedclimbing crane boom 13. An upper tower section 9 is illustratedsuspended from a lifting cable 10 that passes across the balancedpivoting boom 13 via sheaves 15 at each end of the balanced pivotingboom, and is controlled by a ground based winch vehicle 11. FIG. 3 alsoillustrates a powered motor system 19 and discussed in paragraph[0058]below. FIG. 8 illustrates a detail of an end of the balancedpivoting boom 13 including a rotatable sheave 15 and lifting cable 10.The tower segment is raised from the ground level 12 and hoisted intoposition on the rotating forward leaning tower. This process iscontinued sequentially until the tower reaches its full height. It willbe appreciated that this disclosure teaches towers constructed up to andover 500 feet in height. (See vector arrow 14 illustrated in FIG. 6.)This is higher than the lifting capacity of most existing cranes. Thisis achieved by combination of the modular tower construction, thepositioning and movement of the climbing crane 7, comprised of frame 8and balanced boom 13, coordinated with operation of a mobile groundwinch 11.

FIG. 4 illustrates the tower 100 at its completed height. The climbingcrane (illustrated as item 7 in FIG. 3) is elevated to its greatestheight. The nacelle 350 is shown being hoisted into position at the topof the rotating forward leaning tower by lifting cable 10. The angle ofthe lifting cable from the winch vehicle 11 makes twice the angle 2 a tothe vertical of the tower back edge a. As will be explained below, thenacelle is hoisted into close proximity to the front edge of the tower.

FIG. 5 illustrates the hoisting of the turbine rotor 351 to the top ofthe tower. Also illustrated are the attachment modules 5 for theclimbing crane frame 8 and the crane boom 13, and the lifting cable 10and winch vehicle 11.

FIG. 6 illustrates the completed tower and turbine. The tower 100comprises the fixed lower tower 50, the lower bearing (not shown), midtower collar 330 and upper bearing 220, the back edge 120, front edge110, rotor 351, and nacelle 350. The tower height is represented byvector arrow 14. It will be appreciated that the lower portion of therotating tower, i.e., below the upper bearing, rotates within thevisible external fixed lower tower.

With reference to FIG. 1, the natural provision of a strong locationpart way up the tower merges well with erection using a tilt-up step.Because the tilt-up loads are applied where the front to back edgeseparation is greatest, the amount of material needed in the structuraledges is much reduced, and feasible tilt-up size compared withconventional towers is substantially increased. This, combined with theclimbing crane, improves the economics and feasibility of increasedtower height. The amount of tower to tilt up vs build incrementally canbe dictated by the economics of site and transportation logistics.

The drag of a circular tower is more than five times the drag created byan aerodynamically streamlined shape of similar crosswind dimensions.Circular cylinders create substantial drag, due to large-scaledisruption of fluid flow. The drag coefficient (Cd) for a large diametercircular tower in extreme wind conditions is approximately 0.7, and canbe well in excess of 1.0 over a large range of operating Reynoldsnumbers. Research conducted on elliptical shapes similar in form to thewing shaped tower show that a Cd of 0.14 is attainable for such towersections, thereby reducing direct aerodynamic tower drag loads duringextreme winds by about a factor of 5. Further drag reduction via a moreairfoil shape is possible, but may be limited by cost.

The rotating tower can be constructed to allow the front edge to leaninto the windward direction, as shown in FIG. 6. This increases thedistance between the tower leading edge and the plane of rotation of theturbine blades, and minimizes potential for damage to the turbine bladesby striking the tower, thereby allowing for more blade flex duringdesign.

Forward lean also decreases the moment distribution from rotor thrustthat must be carried by the tower and its foundation, the mass upwind ofthe tower rotation axis providing a moment which counteracts some of thethrust induced bending moment normally carried by tower fore-aftmechanical strength.

The tower design subject of this disclosure incorporates a rotatingtower with the capability to hoist the nacelle and rotor to hub heightsthat are well beyond current limits. A recent NREL report (Cotrell, J.,Stehly. T., Johnson, J., Roberts, J. O., Parker, Z., Scott. G., andHeimiller, D., “Analysis of Transportation and Logistics ChallengesAffecting the Deployment of Larger Wind Turbines: Summary of Results,”NREL/TP-5000-61063, January 2014 noted that nacelle hoisting is one ofthe most significant challenges for tower heights over 140 m. Thenacelle weight for the 3.0 MW baseline turbine was 67 metric tonnes andit must be lifted to the full hub height. This requires a 1,250 to 1,600tonnes crawler crane to assemble the wind turbine generator (WTG).

There are three notable aspects to the tilt-up, incremental build, andhoist approach as illustrated schematically in FIGS. 1 through 5.

-   1. A fixed structural base tower that supports the wing tower    tilting and build.-   2. A wing-shaped, tilt-up tower using a hybrid of high strength    front and back edges with lighter weight side panels. The amount of    tilt up versus incremental build will be determined by site    conditions, economics, and the height goal.-   3. A forward lean on the wing tower similar to tall crane booms that    aids the nacelle and rotor lift into position after wing tower build    is completed.

Feasibility

The fixed lower tower can be constructed using segmented steel orconcrete construction as is seen in existing hybrid tower designs. Anextension beyond current practice is leaving out one or more segments totilt up the lower part of the rotating tower. Note that the size of thetilt up portion is to be chosen for best overall tower and erectioncosts—it could be anything from zero to full height as best benefitscost at given sites. It is possible to build the lower part of therotating tower incrementally within the fixed portion. Using anincremental build for the lower rotating tower assures that thedeparture point for the upper tower build via the climbing crane can beachieved. In some rough terrain sites, this may be the best option,possibly the only option, available if or as needed.

Exploiting the forward lean of the tower allows a relatively simpler andsmaller size climber crane to move up the tower in multiple steps,installing successive upper tower segments as it proceeds. Acharacteristic of the tapering design of the upper tower is that thefront edge/back edge pieces, illustrated in FIG. 7, that carry the majorloads can be similar shape and thickness, which aids both mating theclimber to the tower at different heights, and keeping its lift weightrequirement more nearly constant with height than conventional towerdesigns. It will be appreciated that the back edge can be fabricatedwith elements (not shown) that allow attachment and movement of theclimbing crane. These elements can be permanent fixtures of the backedge. It is anticipated that the length of the segments can be chosen tofacilitate the climber-crane design as well as shipping logistics. Ineffect, the tower itself becomes the boom of an ever taller crane aswork progresses. There may not be any other way to achieve breakthroughheights, since some form of crane is needed to reach above the tower topto lift the nacelle and rotor. Costs for exceptionally tall cranes risevery quickly, and they are not available to service all locations. Thecosts that go into building this tower remain with the turbine; thereare no large crane mobilization or teardown costs.

The climbing crane is illustrated in FIGS. 3-5. It comprises a climbingcrane frame, attachment modules, and balanced pivoting boom. The frameis a beam structure that is positioned and moves parallel to the slopeof the tower back edge. The climbing crane includes attachment modulesfor attachment of the frame to the tower back edge. The frame has at itstip a pivoting boom that provides forward reach for lifting the loads.

Back edge elements engaged by the climbing crane attachment modulescould be a captive rail(s) as used on roller coasters, holes into whichmechanical cogs are inserted, complementary geared wheels and rails, orbands that reach around the tower and secure the crane from fallingaway, with wheels to roll along the tower edge, or even magneticretention given a steel back edge.

The height adjustment of the climbing crane can be achieved in manyways, for instance by one or more hydraulic lifts within the attachmentmodules. The hydraulic lift(s) can contain components such as overcenter grip pads that interface with complementary fitting componentssuch as a rail(s) on the back edge. The hydraulic lifts would propel theclimbing crane to the next higher level on the back edge, while multipleredundant over-center grip pads or equivalent could provide saferetention by requiring active release to safeguard against accidentaldrop, similar to personal safety harness climbing equipment.

In another embodiment, the climbing crane uses cogs as on coggedrailways, with the attachment modules employing cog wheels interfacingwith a cog pattern affixed to the tower back edge. In another embodimentthe climbing crane attachment comprises a geared or toothed wheel thatinterfaces with geared or toothed rail(s) permanently attached to thetower back edge.

It will be appreciated that additional fitting components of the backedge may be located at engineered strong points. For example, there maybe fitting components at the junctures of tower segments. It will beappreciated that there is substantial material reinforcement at thesejunctures due to overlap between the tower segments, so they are favoredlocations for reacting the elevated loads that occur during componentlifting.

The cog and geared rail systems are examples of permanent back edgeelements. The components may include one or more guide rails. Similarrails could provide a griping surface for one or more additional failsafe components on the climbing crane frame or attachment modules.

The above described cog wheel, geared or toothed wheel, and hydrauliclift are examples of climbing crane attachment module elevation devices.Other examples are clamping pads similar to brake system calipers thatgrip and release in sequentially higher (or lower) positions, or a winchand cable or chain that lifts or lowers the climbing crane to a newheight. Many other mechanisms that can achieve the same functions areknown, and are claimed herein as ways to adjust the climbing craneheight while securing it to the rotating tower back edge.

Another component of the attachment modules are contact pads that areshaped to complement the surface of the tower back edge. The pads helptransfer the crane load into the tower, and also serve to limitdeformations in the tower edge shape induced by the loads. They may beadjustable in shape if needed to follow changes in tower back edgeshape.

The climbing crane also includes a balanced pivoting boom comprising abeam structure at the upper tip end of the climbing crane frame thatpivots to control the forward reach of the lift hook. This beam may bestrengthened or built lighter using a kingpost and cable arrangementabove it to increase the geometry carrying the beam bending loads.

The climbing crane used in conjunction with the rotating forward leaningtower is a quite novel and useful development. There is, however, animportant structural limitation. It is important that the climbing cranenot impose loads on the partially complete tower during erection, and onthe completed tower during turbine nacelle and rotor lift, that addsignificant cost and weight penalties to the tower as it would bedesigned in the absence of the climber crane. In its normal function(absent the role of the climbing crane) the tower carries the windturbine rotor induced loads to the ground. The rotating tower front andback edges are therefore constructed to carry the large structural loadsin the vertical direction. The vertical component of the climbing craneloads is small relative to tower working and extreme wind loads, andwill not require further strengthening.

The same is not true for bending moment induced forces appliedperpendicularly into the tower back edge by the climbing crane. Innormal operation of the rotating forward leaning tower (even in extremewinds), the local loads on the tower edges are small compared to thosethat can be created from the overhanging moment of the liftingoperations. Therefore net loads must be kept as close to the tower, andas well aligned with its length axis, as practical. As an example, ifthe load being lifted were 50 tons, and the forward reach were threetimes the climbing crane attachment module separation, then the climbingcrane would have to apply 150 tons toward and away from the tower backedge at two primary attachment points. This is possibly beyond thecapability of an unmodified rotating tower, and would impose additionalcost and weight penalties.

Given the above, it is intended that the climbing crane not carry loadsinto its tower attachments as a conventional crane would do—it isacceptable to carry the vertical loads into the tower back edge, but theloads perpendicular to it must be largely eliminated. This requirementis met by the introduction of a balanced pivoting boom, which by itsnature cannot communicate large moments into the climbing crane frame,nor the attachment modules which transfer its loads into the rotatingtower back edge.

It should be noted that the pivoting boom does not have to be perfectlybalanced to achieve its goals, as some level of perpendicular loads canbe transferred toward or away from the tower back edge withoutmodification. For engineering reasons, it may be advantageous to biasthe boom one way or the other, for instance to distribute load into theattachment modules more evenly, or to preload the boom angle control inone direction, for instance if a cable and winch were used for thispurpose. Balanced as used in this boom definition means near enough toequal moments to each side of the pivot that the tower need not bereinforced to handle the climber crane imposed loads. For a 1:1 cablesystem, a difference of 5%, 10%, or even 20% in boom arm lengths maythereby be consistent with the invention. Note that the art of multiplecable purchase would allow a half length boom on one side of the pivotif a 2:1 cable purchase were provided, and balance would still beachieved against a 1:1 cable purchase on the other side. There are toomany multiple purchase possibilities to enumerate, all of which areclaimed within the scope of the invention, provided they result in theproperly constrained moment balance at the boom pivot as describedabove. For clarity, the ensuing discussion will be framed in terms of acable system with near equal booms and the same purchase at each end.

In order to provide the pivoting beam balance described above, theprimary load lifting winch can not be on the climbing crane—it must bean independent ground winch vehicle that applies the same downward forceto the back arm of the boom as lifting the load does to the front arm.This vehicle must be large enough to supply the required lifting cabletension without itself being lifted off the ground, whereby it mustweigh substantially more than the largest load to be lifted, so thatneeded forces to resist being slid toward the tower base can also bereliably provided. Given the size of large wind turbine components, amodified tracked vehicle similar in size to a Caterpillar D9 earthmover,possibly with additional mass added, could be needed for a 1:1 liftsystem. If used offshore, a suitably stabilized extension from thefoundation or floating platform would provide the equivalent function ofthe ground base for the winch vehicle. In order to reduce the size ofthe ground winch vehicle, provide flexibility of operation, smallercable loads, or other advantages, it is possible to use two groundvehicles, both of which may carry winches, or one of which may serve todead end a 2:1 lifting cable, while the other carries the active winch.In this case, double sheaves would be used at each end of the pivotingboom, and a 2:1 sheave would be used at the primary lifting hook. Manyother variations are possible within the usual art of multiple purchasecable systems, and all of these are included within the scope of thedisclosed invention.

A consequence of the balanced nature of the pivoting beam is that ittakes little force or energy to change its angle, even under load. Inthe idealized world of zero friction and perfect balance, it would takeno force at all, and in that case, conservation of energy dictates thatload height should be completely unaffected by changes in boom angle. Ofcourse in the real world there is friction to overcome, balance isn'tperfect, and cable vibrations, wind or other sources may imposetransient loads. A powered motor system on the climbing crane isexpected to provide the forces needed to overcome these loads. Thiscould be done with a large gear on the balanced boom, and worm or piniondrives on the climbing crane frame, similar to how wind turbine yawdrives work. Alternatively, a winch and cable could be used, if the boomloads were biased so it always tries to pivot in one direction. Thiscould also be done using additional independently controlled cables fromthe ground winch vehicle. Given the tower heights for which the climbercrane is intended, this last is not seen as a preferred embodiment, butis claimed within the scope of the patent.

It remains the case that lift height would be largely independent ofpivoting boom angle, and this could be an advantage for the final phaseof the lifts where wherein the tower sections or turbine components areplaced upon the tower structure. At that time, the pivoting boom will beat its nearest to vertical to provide minimum reach and maximum height,so it is in this condition where having the best decoupling of boomangle from load height is most valuable, allowing the crane operator tomove the load toward or away from the tower precisely, without having tomake multiple winch adjustments to compensate changes in height. Notealso that the distance from the climbing crane support points to theload is very much shorter than the 500′+ reach to tower top for a groundcrane, and because the climbing crane and tower move together ratherthan independently, the precision and speed of load placement will beaided by that feature of the invention as well.

To have complete decoupling of pivoting boom angle from load height, theangle to the vertical of the cable to the winch vehicle must be twicethe angle to the vertical of the tower back edge. The balance of forcesis most easily seen when the lift cable is not deflected at the aft boomsheave, as shown in FIG. 3 with the balanced boom near top of reach, inwhich case the bisector of the angle of the cable around the front armsheave is parallel to the tower back edge, producing a force parallel toit as desired to help minimize loads from the climbing crane into thetower back edge, and no boom pivot moment.

As with the balance of the pivoting boom arm moments, it is understoodthat there may be engineering advantages to having a few degrees of biasto help distribute climbing crane loads into the tower optimally, oroperationally to aid the precise placement of the lifted components.These variations from ideal bisection for engineering reasons areincluded within the scope of the disclosed invention. Also included isthe option to move the winch vehicle between lifts to maintain the bestangle when the pivoting boom is at top of reach, or even to adjustposition by crawling the winch vehicle during the lift if there werespecial circumstance to warrant this additional adjustment.

Part of practical crane operation utilizing the rotating forward leaningtower is the provision of lateral lift line adjustment, that is,perpendicular to the direction toward or away from the tower, thislatter provided by adjustments in the pivoting boom angle. Near groundlevel, the rotational yaw ability of the rotating tower combined withits forward lean can be used to provide a degree of lateral adjustmentof the lift line for picking loads from the ground. This would not beused for large lateral movements, as that would impose additional loadson the climber crane, attachment modules, and tower back edge—a smallground crane would be used to place loads in the designated lift zone,and the limited lateral adjustment could be to aid attaching the load tothe lift hook, or limiting adverse loads or motions in the initial liftfree of ground contact.

At top of reach, yaw of the rotating tower is ineffective for lateraladjustment because both tower and crane move together, so insteadclimber crane lateral adjustment mechanisms would provide side to sidemovements of the climbing crane frame relative to the tower, and/orsmall angle rotation of the boom relative to the frame, to provide thelimited lateral adjustment needed for load placement. Other mechanismsto achieve these same boom tip sideward adjustments are included withinthe scope of the present invention.

When the climbing crane is to adjust its vertical position on the backedge of the rotating tower, this could be done without lift load. Thecenter of gravity of the climbing crane is not far removed from the backedge, so moments due to gravity force offset would be modest, and thegravity force vector would be nearly in alignment with the tower backedge. This imposes minimal requirements on the attachment modules andlifting mechanism during vertical crane position adjustment.

Lifting would be done once the climbing crane is in position at a chosenlocation. A preferred choice would be where the attachment modules areat the joints between tower sections, since the overlap creates athicker, stiffer, and stronger zone there. At this location, secureretention would be engaged, such as pins inserted into holes in thetower or rails, or mechanical clamping to the rails that requirespowered release. Many similar safety requirements exist for cables cars,ski lifts, as well as large crane erection, and would be applied to makethe climbing crane movement and retention both safe and efficient. Theuse of such a system is claimed within the scope of this invention.

This specification is to be construed as illustrative only and is forthe purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the manner of carryingout the invention. It is to be understood that the forms of theinvention herein shown and described are to be taken as the presentlypreferred embodiments. As already stated, various changes may be made inthe shape, size and arrangement of components or adjustments made in thesteps of the method without departing from the scope of this invention.For example, equivalent elements may be substituted for thoseillustrated and described herein and certain features of the inventionmaybe utilized independently of the use of other features, all as wouldbe apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of thisdescription of the invention.

While specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerousmodifications are possible without departing from the spirit of theinvention, and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope ofthe accompanying claims.

What I claim is:
 1. A climbing crane system comprising: a) a climbingcrane frame movably positioned substantially parallel to a tower backedge; b) controllably moveable attachment modules securing the climbingcrane frame to the tower back edge, providing the ability to lift aclimbing crane up a tower, hold the climbing crane in a stationaryposition on the tower, or lower the climbing crane down the tower, andsaid controllably moveable attachment modules also providing the abilityto move the climbing crane frame laterally relative to the tower, and toattach and detach the climbing crane frame from the tower; c) a balancedpivoting boom at an upper tip end of said climbing crane frame, whichprovides and controls a forward reach of said climbing crane for liftingof tower segments, and of components to be lifted to a tower top oncethe tower is complete; and d) a ground based winch vehicle with alifting cable connected to the climbing crane for the lifting of thetower segments, and of said components to be lifted to the tower toponce the tower is complete.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein thecontrollably moveable attachment modules are configured to contact thetower back edge via load transferring and tower deformation limitingcontact pads.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the balanced pivotingboom comprises a load lifting cable, and at least one turning sheave ateach end of the balanced pivoting boom, wherein the sheaves are adaptedto pass across a boom cable from a load lifting cable system with atleast one said lifting cable from at least one said ground based winchvehicle, to a lift zone on a front side of the tower with said at leastone lifting cable from said at least one ground based winch vehicle,wherein the ground based winch vehicle is positioned to a back side ofthe tower and the lifting cable extends from the winch vehicle up to andacross the balanced pivoting boom.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein theground winch vehicle is positioned so the lifting cable from the winchvehicle approximately doubles an angle to vertical of the back side ofthe tower, with the balanced pivoting boom near top of reach, andwherein: a) the height of the components to be lifted remainsapproximately unchanged when the balanced pivoting boom to the climbingcrane frame angle is adjusted; b) the ground winch vehicle maintainsdouble the cable angle to the vertical of the back side of the tower atdifferent heights of tower erection.
 5. The system of claim 1, whereinthe angle of the balanced pivoting boom to the climbing crane frame isconfigured to be controlled by a power motor system on the climbingcrane wherein, said power motor system need not react to pivotrotational forces arising from a change of a lifted component heightwith boom angle.